Not My Jesus

20“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21“that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22“And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23“I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. 24“Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. 25“O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. 26“And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

John 17: 20 - 26 NKJV 

I see it as a lame argument on the nature and deity of Christ Jesus.  There are times, when a unbeliever comes face to face with the truth of Jesus where they will proclaim, "That's NOT my Jesus!"  Usually, my first response is something along the lines of, "Well, then, what is your Jesus like?"  I don't do this in a teaching sense, but I am usually curious to how others see my savior from their own perspective.  Some see Jesus as a all loving, long haired righteous dude while others see Him as a prophet who would rather love than to criticize others.  Somone please explain to them Jesus' tirade against the Jewish Pharisees of His day in Matthew 23.  For it is here where Jesus layed into the Pharisees for their religious practices.  It seems that these men of the cloth were more about their own image than serving God, and Jesus let them know it!  Of course, this did not endear Him to the Jewish authorities either.  This was just one more reason Jesus was a threat to the Pharisees.  So, when asked about just who this man Jesus was (For they rarely say who He IS), they will casually place upon Him all the attributes which they admire in a perfect person.  However, when faced with the scripural evidence of Jesus' teaching, they will at times grit their teeth and claim that this Jesus is not their Jesus.  Someone please tell me just how many Jesus' are out there.  Will the real Jesus please stand.  It's not hard to see how confusing this mingling of our world and the reality of Christ Jesus can be.  

13When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” 14So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18“And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19“And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth hwill be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Matthew 16: 13 - 19 NKJV 

One of my favorite passages of scripture comes in the book of Matthew where Jesus poses the question to His disciples of who others claimed He was.  As it is today, He got a few different answers.  The answers ranged from John the Baptist and Elijah to Jeremiah or one of the prophets of old.  Then Jesus asks of Peter, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peters response?  "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Peter nailed it!  Who was it that revealed this truth to Peter?  Well, Jesus tells him who.  "Blessed are you, Simon Bar Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven."  Peter had not learned this truth in the local synagogue or from one of the Jewish officials of the day, but it was revealed to Him straight from God the Father.  So, who is it that will reveal to us this true Jesus, the very Jesus whom God sent to be a sin offering for us?  None other than our Father who is in heaven.  For any other ideas we may have of who Jesus is may be in error if not revealed by He who sent Him.  It is true that Jesus is the one and only perfect and sinless man.  It is also true that Jesus is love, as He is the exact image of God and God is love.  However, when we speak of Jesus, we must claim Him, as Peter did, in the present tense and not the former.  For Christ Jesus IS indeed the Son of our LIVING God.  He is not dead, but very much alive in us today.

20“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Galations 2:20 NKJV 

Others may claim a Jesus who is a  all loving, non criticizing long haired guru.  This...is not my Jesus. 

~Scott~